Shooting Star
by crowleyswingman
Summary: High school AU, Castiel Novak is a quiet, intelligent guitar player. He's never really noticed, until Dean Winchester moves into town. He seems confident and cool, but as soon as Castiel digs deeper, Dean becomes more and more troubling. Will Castiel figure out who exactly Dean is? Please give this a chance, I suck at writing summaries!
1. Chapter 1

**Shooting Star**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. If I did, there'd be a lot more homosexuality between a certain hunter and his angel ;)**

**Warnings: M/M pairings, self-harm, domestic abuse, brutal bullying, etc. (In short; some trigger topics)**

**Summary: High school AU, Castiel Novak is a quiet, intelligent guitar player. He's never really noticed, until Dean Winchester moves into town. He seems confident and cool, but as soon as Castiel digs deeper, Dean becomes more and more troubling. Will Castiel figure out who exactly Dean is? **

**A/N: I've wanted to write this fic for a while… I have recently thought of and revised ideas so I'm going to type them up before I forget. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Beautiful music fills the large house as Castiel strums his guitar. He sits at a stool in the center of his room, his black Fender acoustic guitar in his lap. He reaches to a table and scribbles something down on a piece of paper. He then strums a few more chords.<p>

"Castiel!" a sharp voice calls. "I swear, if I have to call you one more time-"

"Alright, I get it," he yells back. He adds to himself, "Just one more chord..."

He quickly scribbles something down on the paper and puts his guitar carefully in its case. He latches each silver latch and runs out the the staircase, past the kitchen, and into the entryway he goes. He puts on his favorite shoes, a pair of simple Converse.

"Your siblings already left," a voice behind him says. He turns and sees his oldest sister Naomi. "You might be able to catch up with them if you hurry."

Castiel nods once and exits the house. He doesn't bother trying to catch up with his family; he knows they'll just ignore him anyway. So, he strolls down the sidewalk humming a tune to a song he can't quite place.

The Novak family consists of eight members, from oldest to youngest: Lucifer, Naomi, Michael, Hannah, Castiel, Balthazar, Gabriel, and Anna.

Lucifer is the oldest. However, the rest of the family hasn't heard from him in ten years. He left right out of high school to go and do something their mother didn't agree with.

Naomi is the caretaker of all of the siblings. She is strict and has strong beliefs.

Michael and Hannah are twins, although you wouldn't know it. Michael is a lot like Naomi; having strong moral beliefs. Hannah, however, is unsure of her beliefs. She is more like Castiel than any of the siblings.

Balthazar is a character, and that's putting it nicely. He can be brutal, but he's usually nice. He even adopted a foreign accent, simply to annoy Naomi.

Gabriel is a different story entirely. He's very… Spontaneous? No, more like obnoxious. He's always playing pranks on everybody.

Then there's Anna. She's the youngest, only twelve years old. The Novak's don't see much of her; she's in a psychiatric hospital. She started hearing voices when she was six, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia a year or two later.

That leaves Castiel. He's the smartest child. Granted, they're all very smart, but Castiel's IQ exceeds all of theirs. He's also the quietest, the least noticed. Everybody knows Lucifer, he's the talk of the town. Naomi is famous for her political work. Even Michael and Hannah are well-known. Balthazar is the one who throws the parties, along with Gabriel. Of course Anna is talked about.

But Castiel? No. He's hidden in the shadows of his family. But he wouldn't have it any other way. He hates being noticed. He's perfectly happy watching from the sidelines.

So, here we are. Castiel trudging along the sidewalk, watching his beloved family four blocks ahead of him laughing and joking with each other.

When Castiel finally arrives to school, he finds that he only has two minutes to get to his first class before he's late. He all but sprints up the stairs to his locker, then back down to class. He silently slips into his seat in the back of the room. He doesn't even pay attention, he already knows who won the Revolutionary War.

At lunch, Castiel sits alone. Usually. Today, as he was eating his school pizza, a tray was set down across from him. He freezes, swallowing the bite of pizza in his mouth. Looking up tentatively, he sees another boy. This boy has green eyes, short brown hair, and a shit-eating grin on his face. It's obvious he means nothing but trouble.

"What do you want," Castiel grumbles.

The boy's grin falters for a second. "Well, aren't you a little ray of sunshine."

"Just leave me alone."

"Alright."

The boy doesn't leave. "Well?" Castiel presses.

"Well," the boy swallows whatever was in his mouth, "I'm leaving you alone."

"Aren't you going to leave? Go talk to your buddies or something."

Castiel looks up again. That's a mistake, now he and the boy are having a staring contest.

"I don't have any buddies," the boy finally breaks the silence. "The name's Dean. Dean Winchester."

Castiel stays silent.

"Well?" the boy- Dean- drawls. "Aren't you gonna tell me your name?"

Hesitation, then, "What do you want? I have no more money, so just leave me alone."

"Woah, woah, woah, dude. I don't want your money. I just want your name."

Castiel looks at Dean's face. He seems… sincere. "Castiel," he hesitantly offers.

Dean seems to mouth the name a few times, as if trying to remember something.

"Yea, it's the name of an angel. All of my siblings are named after them, too."

Dean looks surprised. "That's awesome. My brother and I were named after our grandparents. A little mainstream if you ask me."

Castiel chuckles, finishing his pizza. Dean asks if he was going to eat his pasta, and Castiel hands over his tray. "Just eat the rest."

"Really?" Castiel nods. "Thanks, Cas."

"Cas?"

Dean swallows before saying, "Yea, short for 'Castiel'. It's easier to say."

_That's better than Cassie, _thinks Castiel. Gabriel and Balthazar call him Cassie on a daily basis.

But there's still a thought tickling the back of Cas' mind. _What if this is all one big joke? He could just want to make a fool of you. _Or even worse, _What if he gets you into trouble?_

Castiel decides that he has to distance himself from the Winchester. He won't tell him anything more about himself. He absolutely, without a doubt, will not be sucked into a life of crimes and drugs. He doesn't want to turn out like his oldest brother.

So, Cas acts on this notion. "Well, I better go. See you around." _Hopefully not._

Dean looks up, surprised. "Leaving so soon? I thought we were friends."

"Please just leave me alone. I'm not in the mood for this."

"For what?"

Really? He's playing dumb. "For this… this joke- or something- that you're playing on me."

Dean blinks a few times. "Joke? There's no joke, Cas."

Cas shakes his head. "Just leave me alone." With that, he walks out of the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>In his next class, Cas sits in the center of the room. The bell rings and the teacher enters, writing something in bright red on the board.<p>

About fifteen minutes in, the door slams open and the one and only Dean Winchester strides in. "Sorry," he says to the teacher. "Couldn't find the right room. Somehow found myself in the senior lounge."

The teacher grumbles and looks at a sheet on his desk. He points to the center of the room, seemingly right at Castiel. "Sit behind Mr. Novak."

_Great. _Cas slides down in his seat, trying to avoid everyone's gaze. I few moments later, he feels a soft tap on his back. "Hey, Cas," Dean whispers. "Long time no see, eh?"

Cas slides down even further. He starts writing lyrics on a scrap piece of paper.

_Rain and wind_

_Torrents of cold_

_You are a sin_

_Wrapped in gold_

Cas feels hot breath on the back of his neck. Dean was reading over his shoulder. "Kinda dark, don't ya think?"

Quickly covering his work, he replies in a hushed whisper, "Seriously, leave me alone."

Dean sits back and spends the rest of class drumming his pencil on the desk. It doesn't bother Cas, because he's figuring out strum patterns on his thigh that would fit with the beat Dean is creating.

Castiel ends up having two more classes with Dean. But, to Cas's relief, he sits halfway across the room. However, Dean continues turning around to mouth something to Cas before getting reprimanded by the teacher. _This is going to be a long year,_ Cas thinks.

* * *

><p>Walking home by himself, Cas decides to stop at a small gas station to get something to drink. He's too busy scanning the shelves (looking for Monster) to notice a man clad in black walk in. In fact, he doesn't notice the man approaching him until he has an arm around his neck and a gun to his head.<p>

"Alright, nobody move!" the man roars. "Two people, you and you, go lock the doors with the padlocks I have in my bag. Yes, you. Fatty in green shirt, also. Now- go quickly or this boy dies!"

The two civilians do as he says. Castiel squeezes his eyes shut as the man half-drags him into the center of the store. Both of his hands are on the man's arm, trying to keep his throat safe.

"Now you two, bring the bag to the lovely cashier."

The same two civilians bring the large blue duffel bag to the lady behind the counter. The one the robber called 'fatty in green shirt' has silent tears streaming down his face.

Cas feels breath on his left ear and assumes the man lowered his head. "Now kid," he whispers roughly. "I want you to reach down to my right hip." Castiel does as he says. "That's it, kid. Now, feel around. Feel that button?" Cas nods shakily. "That button has wires connecting to an explosive device strapped to my chest. I want you to warn everybody, so they know what's gonna happen if they don't do what I say."

Castiel considers keeping silent. If the guy is telling the truth, and the bomb is strong enough, this little gas station will be blown up. He decides not to take his chances. "He's got a bomb!" he yells out.

There is a scream, coming from a woman in the corner.

"Now, lovely lady, put all of the money in that bag. And don't even think about pushing any buttons, or I'll push mine."

The man drags Cas towards the front of the station. "And if anybody calls the police," he continues, "well, let's just say that if you want to get out of here alive, I wouldn't."

"Already called them," a familiar voice says. "Now, don't even think about moving. I have a very sharp knife to your throat. If I so much as see your fingers _twitch,_ it will have already cut through your throat."

"Dean?" Cas whispers.

"Yea, Cas. Don't worry, I'm here."

Castiel has never been happier to hear that voice. Even though he only first heard it a few hours previous.

"Now," Dean continues, "we'll all just wait here until the cops come. Well, I guess you guys stuck here can grab drinks and snacks."

Nobody moves.

"Alright, suit yourselves."

Cas chuckles and asks, "Is there any way you could get him to release me?"

There's a pause then, "Afraid not, that would require his fingers to twitch."

Cas is slightly stunned and disappointed. Fortunately, they don't have to wait long. The police arrive within the next thirty seconds, sirens blaring. They bash the doors in and disarm the man. Cas stumbles free of the man's grasp and grips the counter, steadying himself. He turns and sees Dean bring the knife to his side, nodding to an officer.

"Hey, Cas," Dean says, suddenly behind him.

Castiel's eyes are closed.

"Cas?"

"You saved a lot of lives."

Dean chuckles. "Yea, I guess so." He pauses, then, "Look, man, I'm sorry about refusing to let him release you. It's just… If he had both arms free, he would've pushed that button or pulled the trigger."

Understanding, Cas nods. "I'm just glad nobody died."

Dean leads Cas out, a hand on his shoulder. Medics check Castiel over, poking at the bruises on his neck from the man's choke-hold. Dean sits beside him the whole time.

Reporters come and interview the pair of teens. Castiel's questions are along the lines of, "Were you scared? Did you have any plan of escape? How did Dean Winchester save you?"

Dean was the new local hero. Headlines would read his name for weeks.

Eventually, Naomi came and picked Castiel up, not even looking at, let alone thanking, Dean.

* * *

><p>"Cassie, Cassie! Are you hurt?" Gabriel stutters.<p>

"No," Cas replies. "And it's 'Castiel', not Cassie."

Gabriel disregards Castiel's correction. "You have bruises! Naomi told us, but she didn't give details. Tell the whole story."

Castiel looks up from his guitar and at his fourteen-year-old brother. "I don't really want to."

"Alright," Gabe sits on Cas's bed. "I'm just worried."

"Look," Cas sighs. "A man came in, grabbed me, put a gun to my head, and demanded money. Then, some kid came and put a knife to his throat. The police came and arrested him. The end."

Dissatisfied, Gabe leans back on the bed. "You're gonna be in the paper tomorrow."

_Oh great. _"Just please get out of my room. I have homework."

"Homework?!" Gabriel jack-knifes up. "You almost _died_, and you're worried about homework?"

"Yes, now leave."

Gabe complies, grumbling about something.

Castiel puts his guitar down. He lied about homework, he just wanted to be left alone. He needs to sort out his feelings about this annoying kid who just saved his life.

* * *

><p><strong>Boom! Chapter uno done! Did y'all like it? *blushes* You did? Awe, thank you! <strong>

**Even though I know you loved it, please review!**

**I'll try to update as soon as I get chapter two done.**

**+Gellie**


	2. Trench Coats and Nervous Teens

**A/N: A big thank you to:**

**Music of The Light **

**PercyJacksonFanaholic **

**CaptainBrieOnToast**

**-+And+-**

**Guest. (You know who you are, you lil bugger)**

**So, here we go. Another day, another chapter. My goal is at least… idk… 1500 words/chapter? I'll try. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Castiel was in a gas station. He looks around, seeing just a normal, small-town, store. He shrugs and goes back to whatever he was doing.<p>

"Alright, nobody move!" somebody roars. Cas turns around swiftly and sees a man in black with somebody in his grasp. The 'somebody' was Dean Winchester. Even scarier, he has a gun to Dean's head.

"Two people, you," he points at Cas, "and you, go lock the doors with the padlocks I have in my bag."

Cas's eyes go wide, and he points at himself as if asking 'me?'.

"Yes, you," the man replies to the gesture sarcastically. "Fatty in green shirt, also. Now- go quickly or this boy dies!"

Cas and the other man scurry off to find the bag. They locate it and find the padlocks amongst the arsenal of weapons and ammo. _What is this guy, crazy? _Cas asks himself. Well, probably. He is trying to rob a gas station after all.

"Now you two," the man addresses them again, "bring the bag to the lovely cashier."

They do as he says, the other man taking one strap, Cas taking the other. As they make eye-contact, Cas can see that the man is crying. _Poor guy, he probably just wanted donuts._

The cashier is just starting to reach for the bag as Dean shouts, "He's got a bomb!"

A woman in the corner screams.

"Now, lovely lady, put all of the money in that bag. And don't even think about pushing any buttons, or I'll push mine."

The man drags Dean towards the front of the station. "And if anybody calls the police," he continues, "well, let's just say that if you want to get out of here alive, I wouldn't."

Cas feels like he should do something, something heroic just at that moment. However, he can't muster up the courage to lift even a finger.

The next few moments seem to go in slow motion.

One. Dean catches Castiel's eye.

Two. He mouths, 'get down'.

Three. Cas ducks behind a shelf.

Four. A gunshot is heard.

Five. Blood splatters the wall behind Cas.

A few people scream. Cas peeks from behind his hiding spot and sees someone lying on the floor, eyes trained in Cas's direction. Blood is oozing from the side of their head.

Once again, that 'sombody' is Dean Winchester.

* * *

><p>Castiel snaps his eyes open, uttering a gasp. He sits up slowly, looking around. "Just a dream," he whispers to nobody in particular. "Just some crazy, psycho, vivid dream."<p>

Soft morning light seeps through the blinds on Cas's window. He decides it's time to get up and swings his feet over the side of the bed. He goes through his normal routine; shower, get dressed, eat stale cereal hidden under his bed, and finally, practice guitar until Naomi starts screaming.

"Take my hand, take my whole life, too," he sings softly. "For I can't help falling in love with you."

Another strum pattern and more chords pour out of him, hands moving of their own accord. A few minutes of this, and he finally chooses one and does that over and over again. He finally scribbles the pattern and chords on a piece of paper to remember later.

"Time for school, Castiel!" Naomi screams harshly.

"Yea, yea," he mutters.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Cas," poke, "Cas," poke, "<em>Caaaas<em>." Poke, poke poke.

Castiel closes his eyes and counts to ten. Sighing deeply, he turns around to face Dean. "_What?_"

"Can I borrow a pencil?"

"Dean Winchester," Cas whispers. "You have been poking me for five consecutive minutes for a _pencil?_"

Dean rolls his eyes. "You wouldn't turn around."

Cas takes another deep breath. "Is a pen okay?"

He nods and Cas hands him the pen on his desk. Dean winks and starts taking notes on whatever the teacher was teaching.

Now, this is when Cas realizes now he doesn't have a pen. _Great, just great._

* * *

><p>Castiel has had a song stuck in his head since third period, and no matter how many times he goes over it, he can only remember two lines:<p>

Once I rose above the noise and confusion,

Just to get a glimpse…

It gets fuzzy after that. He can only hum the rest of the line, not remembering the words. It's driving him nuts!

He tries to recall it as he walks home after school, being sure to avoid the gas station. Suddenly, a classic black car rolls by, playing the son Cas was thinking of.

"Of course!" he exclaims, smacking himself on the forehead. He continues walking.

The car follows him.

_I do _not_ want a repeat of yesterday, _he thinks to himself. So, he walks faster.

The car goes faster, keeping up with him.

"Hey, Cas!" a voice yells over the loud music.

Castiel turns around to see none other than Dean Winchester hanging his head out the window of the car. He has one arm hanging out, the other on the wheel.

The car comes to a stop beside Cas. "Need a ride?" Dean asks.

Eyes wide, mouth dry, Cas shakes his head slowly.

"Oh come on, it's cold."

Again, Cas shakes his head.

Dean laughs a little. "Come on, you can trust me. I did save your life after all."

This snaps him out of the stupor. "Just because you saved my life doesn't mean we're friends," he points out harshly.

Dean grins. "Come on. We don't have to be friends for me to give you a ride. Please? You're making me cold just looking at you."

Castiel finally agrees, because what can it hurt? It's just a ride.

Running a finger along the silver stripe on the passenger side of the car, Cas limbs in carefully. He looks around the interior of the car and nods approvingly.

"Nice car, huh?" Dean chuckles. "Yep. '67 Chevy Impala. Baby's still in her prime."

Cas raises an eyebrow. "And I assume you like… classic rock?" He gestures toward the copious amounts of cassette tapes haphazardly thrown in the back seat.

"Oh, Cas, you know me so well. And you say we aren't friends."

Rolling his eyes, Cas replies, "We don't know anything about each other."

"Well," Dean clicks his tongue. "My name is Dean Winchester. I'm an aquarius, I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women."

"Really?" Cas replies sarcastically.

Dean sighs. "Fine. My name is Dean, I have a little brother, Sam, and I enjoy classic rock, classic cars, and leather jackets."

Cas purses his lips and looks out the window. "Your turn," Dean barks out, starting the car.

Cas snaps his head back toward Dean, eyes wide in surprise. "Hey, buddy, I told you about me, now you tell me about you."

Well, it's only fair. "My name is Castiel Novak, I have eight siblings; Lucifer, Naomi, Michael, Hannah, Balthazar, Gabriel, and Anna. I enjoy classical music, guitars, and trench coats."

Dean nods, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to look at the passenger. "Lucifer?"

"Yea," Cas nods once, "heard of him?"

"I think so."

Dean falls silent, very uncharacteristic of him. Castiel just gives him quiet verbal cues to turn when they needed to.

Soon enough, they arrive at Cas's small mansion. Dean lets out a low whistle and says, "Woah, man. Nice house."

Cas nods, "It is."

They sit in awkward silence. "Well, I best be going. Thank you for the ride-"

"So, trench coats, huh?" Dean interrupts.

Surprised, Cas blinks a few times. "Yes."

"Do you have one?"

"Yes. I am confused as to why you are inquiring about this."

He chuckles. "Why don't you wear it?"

This causes Castiel to think for a moment. "My- my siblings said people would make fun of me."

"I won't let that happen," Dean assures him. "You know, if you ever have problems, talk to me."

"P-problems?"

Dean sighs, clearly exasperated. "I see how they talk to you, Cas. The kids in the hall, the teachers, even! Please say that you know that they're trying to hurt you."

"Yea," Cas starts to exit the vehicle. "Yea, I know."

The passenger door slams shut and Cas scurries up the steps and to the door. He looks back and sees Dean looking sympathetically back at him.

"Shit!" Dean curses as Cas's door closes behind him.

Before anybody can greet him (they wouldn't, anyway), Castiel was up the stairs and in his room. He stood with his back against the door, panting lightly. Dean saw? How could he see that?

Well, then again, how could he not?

Castiel was bullied. Brutally. His peers would push him around, teasing him about his appearance and family. His teachers would look at him like he was dog shit on the bottom of their shoes. But the thing is, you would never know that it affected Cas. He always has a stoic expression on his face.

_Dean Winchester was paying attention to me,_ is the one thing sticking out in his mind. Dean Winchester, the witty, popular, attractive one was noticing the nerdy, dorky, unappealing one.

Maybe this wasn't a joke. Maybe Dean actually cared about Cas, not just wanted to befriend him to later humiliate him. _But why? _This is all too confusing for Cas right now. He decides to just calm down and play guitar.

* * *

><p>Castiel awakes the next morning later than usual. Balthazar has to wake him up, by jumping on top of him, of course.<p>

"Jesus Christ! Balthazar!" Castiel's scolding is muffled by the comforter that is halfway gagging him.

The younger one just clicks his tongue and says, "No cursing, Cassie. It's rude," in his British accent.

Against all struggles to get up, Castiel is just too tired to push Balthazar off of him, so he wriggles out from beneath him. Cas lands with an 'oomf' on the cold floor. He glares up at the other teen sitting smugly on the bed.

"About time you wake up," he says. "We were beginning to think you were dead."

Cas rubs the sleep from his eyes wearily. "What time is it?" He yawns.

"Ten minutes 'til we should leave."

"FU-" Castiel catches himself, "frick. Frick, I was going to say frick,"

"Mmhmm, sure," Balthazar says sarcastically. "Now get ready. Comb that bedhead of yours." With that being said, he leaves the room.

Instead of showering, Cas gets dressed, sticks his head under the sink, and wets his hair down. He then combs out the knots that he acquired during the night. "Maybe it's time for a cut," he mumbles.

Exiting the bathroom, he looks at the clock. No time to practice guitar. Today is going to be a crappy day.

Before leaving, he sees his tan trench coat hanging on his closet door. With a small smile, he slips it on and looks at himself in the full-length mirror. _It doesn't look that bad,_ he reasons. _Plus, Dean said he'd stop anybody from bullying me._

"He didn't say that," he scolds himself. "Why would he? We only met a few days ago."

Despite the argument going on in his head that _he_ _shouldn't wear the stupid trench coat, _he leaves it on. Hopefully, he wouldn't get bullied. And if he did, hopefully Dean would protect him.

* * *

><p>Through the halls, Castiel can hear whispers. Some girls are giggling. Do you know how absolutely terrifying it is when you walk past high school girls and they <em>giggle?<em>

He just keeps his head down and walks, hands in pockets, to his locker. That only works until someone blocks his way. "Nice coat, _Cassie."_

Castiel looks up and sees Alistair, a kid in his grade, looming above him. Alistair has his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. The gangly teen looks him up and down, scrutinizing every bit of Castiel.

"Gonna solve a crime, detective?" another voice joins. This one belongs to a girl named Lilith.

"You look like a filthy hobo!" That one is Uriel.

"Look, guys we got ourselves a gang member!"

"You look ridiculous!"

"Why do you set yourself up for this?"

The voices continue getting louder and louder, until Castiel can do nothing but look hopelessly around him, seeing only mean faces.

"ENOUGH!" A voice roars.

Castiel turns and sees Dean Winchester, jaw clenched and fists at his sides.

"If anyone has a problem with anything Cas is wearing, you can take it up with me!" The hall goes silent. "Anyone? Anyone at all?" Still, silence. "Good."

Dean approaches Cas, putting a strong arm around his shoulder. "C'mon, Cas. Let's go."

Together, they push through the crowd and make it to the other end of the hall. Behind them, people begin to talk again.

They turn in the direction of Cas's locker, and Cas ducks out from under Dean's arm. "I should not have worn the stupid coat."

"It's not a stupid coat, Cas."

"Yes it is!" Cas finds his locker and starts to fiddle with the lock. "If I get made fun of for it, it's obviously stupid."

Dean puts a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Calm down. You look fine in the coat. It looks like you belong in it."

Looking at Dean out of the corner of his eye, Cas scoffs.

"It sounds weird, I know," Dean sputters. "J-just take my word for it. You look good in the coat."

Castiel is shaking too bad to correctly enter his combination. Angrily, he slams the lock down and puts a hand over his eyes.

"Here," Dean calmly says. "What's the combo?"

"Twelve, twenty-eight, twelve," Cas numbers out from memory.

There are a few soft clicks then one big one as the lock pops open. "There ya go, now get your books and then we'll head to class."

Castiel does as instructed. "Why are you being so kind to me?" he inquires as they start down the hall to class.

Dean is quiet for a moment, worrying Cas. "Does there have to be a reason?"

"Usually, there is."

"Well, I don't have one."

Scoffing, Cas says, "So you're just being nice for the heck of it?"

Dean stops and turns to look at Cas. "Everybody needs a friend, Cas." Then, he continues walking.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day goes without a hitch. Nobody says anything to Castiel, afraid of what Dean would do. This makes him smile at the floor as he walks through the halls.<p>

After school, Dean offers Cas another ride, and Cas obliges, happy that he doesn't have to walk in the cold.

In the Impala, Dean pops in a cassette tape and mouths all of the words. He makes Cas laugh a few times by making strange faces.

They arrive at Cas's house a little too soon. The radio gets turned off, and Dean turns his head to face Cas.

"So, uh," he begins nervously. "Instead of coming straight here after school tomorrow, would you like to get something to eat?" He rubs the back of his neck, waiting for an answer.

Castiel is shocked, to say the least. His eyes are wide, mouth making the shape of an 'O'. Dean smiles sheepishly, looking up through his lashes as Cas.

"A-are you asking me out on- on, like, a date?" Cas stutters.

Dean smirks. "Yes- well, no. Well, if you want it to be."

Castiel can feel a blush rising on his cheeks. Dean Winchester, asking _him,_ Castiel Novak, on a _date?_ Who would've thought?

Realizing Dean was waiting for an answer, Cas sputters out, "Yes. Uh, yea, that would be great."

"Really?" Dean's face lights up. "Great! Um, wh-what would you like? We can get Chinese, we could go to some pizza place… Oh! We could go to a diner that has this amazing pie. Like, the best pie I've ever tasted!"

"I-I've actually never had pie before," Cas confesses.

All emotion is wiped off of Dean's face. "You've never had _pie?_" Cas shakes his head. "Yep, we're going to the diner."

Cas chuckles. "Alright."

"Alright."

They stare at each other for a while, grinning like idiots, until Castiel realizes that he should probably get out of the car. "Well, I-I'll be going then."

He gets out of the car and Dean leans toward the door, confirming, "Tomorrow?"

Cas pops his head back in. "Tomorrow," he agrees.

Dean sits back up and drums his fingers on the steering wheel. "See you tomorrow!"

Cas nods, gently closing the door. He waves from the front door as the Impala backs out of the driveway.

His family is really confused as Castiel seemingly floats up the stairs, happier than he has been in a long, long, time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow. I didn't even see that coming.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I'm actually happy with how this turned out.**

**Please, please, please review! It really makes my day a million times better for each review I get!**

**Also, I'm accepting suggestions from any of you who would like to see something happen. I'm kinda scared that I won't have good ideas for their *squeals* date.**

**Well, farewell for now, henchmen!**

**+Gellie**


	3. Sweet Apple Pie

**A/N: Woke up bright and early to write this, so here I am. Currently listening to Heat of the Moment, trying to get myself pumped. If Sammy can get up every day during Mystery Spot, then you can write another chapter, I keep telling myself.**

**Also, I might be changing the title to 'Falling For You', or maybe something else, so look out for that.**

**Well, here we go.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>During third period, the one before lunch, Castiel isn't paying attention. He is debating on whether what he wore today was appropriate for tonight. Having not told his family about the date, Castiel had to work out the details on his own. It's not like his family would help, anyway.<p>

He had woken up twenty minutes early so he would have time to pick out something nice to wear. Did Dean like the trench coat? Or would he rather just a T-shirt? What about flannel?

He ended up just staring at his closet for those extra twenty minutes. At the last second, he decided on black pants, white button-up shirt, black over-shirt and a blue tie. And, of course, his trench coat.

Now, he feels overdressed.

The bell rings, thus ending the tedious lecture about whatever the class was covering. Cas scurries to his locker and puts his books away. Then, he tries to calmly walk down to the cafeteria, but he's too jittery. This will be the first time today seeing Dean.

He goes to their table. Dean isn't there. Well, Cas is usually first, anyways. He snags some food and hurries back to the table.

His plan of trying not to attract attention fails. Alastair stalks toward him, sneering. "Hey, Castiel," he says in his nasally voice. He runs a tongue over his bottom lip and continues, "What are you all dressed up for, huh?" He stalks around the table to come to a stop beside Cas.

Castiel doesn't answer, just ducks his head. He can feel everyone's eyes on him. The cafeteria is silent.

"Are you going to a-" Alastair pauses, as if for dramatic effect- "funeral?"

"Yea, yours, if you don't shut up."

Cas turns quickly to see Dean behind him, once again. Alastair hisses and stalks away, turning and running his tongue over his lip again.

Dean sits in front of Cas.

"Thanks," Cas says sheepishly, a nervous smile on his face.

"No problem," Dean replies. He takes a bite of the sandwich on his tray. "Didn't want him to hurt himself, thinking of an insult."

"Yea, well, he always manages to come up with one." Cas sighs and tears a piece off of his sandwich, nibbling on it.

Dean smirks. "You look great, by the way. The tie matches your eyes."

Cas looks down. "Are my eyes really this color?" he asks incredulously.

Nodding, Dean takes another bite. "So," he says after swallowing, "what kind of pie do you wanna get?"

Cas grins. "You are really excited about pie, aren't you?"

Dean nods vigorously. "Cas, it's _pie._ Of course I'm excited."

Finishing off the bite he tore off, Castiel tears off another. "I don't know. I've never had pie. What kind is your favorite?"

"Apple," he replies without hesitation. "Sweet, succulent Granny Smiths, doused with sugar and cinnamon, with flakey crust draped over top. Mmm."

"Don't give yourself an orgasm," Cas chuckles.

"Mmm, I might. Just thinking about pie makes me all tingly inside."

They fall into an easy discussion about music. Before long, Dean finishes his sandwich and Castiel offers the rest of his.

"Dude," Dean says, astonished. "Do you even eat? There are, like, two bites taken out of this!"

"M'not really hungry," Cas mumbles in reply.

"Here," Dean halves the sandwich, handing Cas the bigger half. "Eat that."

"I told you, I'm not hungry," Cas says as he pushes the half away.

Dean puts on his best puppy-dog eyes and says, "Please, Cas? For me?" He looks unbearably cute.

"_Fine_," Cas agrees. "I'll eat half of that. Hey, it's better than nothing," he says at Dean's disappointed look.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day is a blur. Castiel is too nervous to pay attention in class, too nervous to pay attention to Alastair's attempts to torment him, and too nervous to think.<p>

Before he knows it, Cas is outside waiting for Dean to pull up with the Impala. He hears the loud purr of the engine and his stomach flips. What if Dean doesn't really like him? What if this is a joke?

"C'mon, Cas! Let's go get pie," Dean calls from the interior of the Impala.

Cas strides nervously to the passenger side and climbs in. Dean turns to him, smiles, and drives off.

"So," Cas says after a few seconds of silence. "What diner do you have in mind?"

"One out of town a little ways," Dean replies, popping in a cassette tape. Stairway to Heaven starts playing.

"I've never heard this one before," Cas confesses.

Dean laughs. "Why am I not surprised? Well, it's called Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. It's eight minutes long, so be prepared to listen to this the majority of the ride."

It turns out to be a good song, actually. Soft and sad, but good.

Cas leans his forehead against the window and watches the trees fly by. Once out of town, they spot a few deer crossing the road. Not exactly abnormal, but the two still gasp.

The mother deer pushes her baby along with her nose. A buck crosses after them.

"That was awesome," Dean exclaims as the car starts moving again.

* * *

><p>The trip took longer than expected. There was construction along most of the road, slowing the pace. But they still made it to the diner by 4:30.<p>

"Perfect," Dean says as he puts the car in park. "Dinner time."

The diner is sort of small. It has a neon sign on top that reads, "Harvelle's Roadhouse".

The inside is cramped, as Castiel expected. There is a large bar in the center and small tables all around. In a semi-separate room, there's a pool table.

"Hello, boys!" a sweet voice calls. Dean waves and starts walking in the direction of the bar. Cas follows him like a lost puppy.

"Hey, Ellen," Dean greets the woman at the counter. She's middle aged, with strawberry blonde hair and kind eyes.

"Haven't seen you in a long time." She looks Dean over then moves her eyes to Castiel. "Who did you bring this time, honey?"

"Oh, um, Ellen, this is Castiel. Cas, this is Ellen."

Cas half-waves, nervous out of his mind. Ellen smiles and turns her attention back to Dean.

"So, the usual?" she briskly asks.

Dean nods, looks at Cas, and asks, "You're not a vegetarian, are you?"

"N-no?"

"Good. Make that two."

Ellen winks. "Comin' right up."

The pair find a table and sit down. "Nice place," Cas hums.

Dean smirks, nodding. "You're afraid of Ellen, aren't you?"

Cas can feel a blush rising on his cheeks. "A little," he confesses.

"Wait 'til you see her daughter," Dean chuckles.

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, two plates are set in front of them. A young, blonde girl slides into the seat next to Dean.

"Hey, Dean," she smiles.

"Well speak of the devil," Dean smiles back. "I was just telling Cas about you."

The girl glances over at Cas, slightly frowning. "Hopefully good things," she forces a laugh.

"Cas, this is Jo. She's Ellen's daughter."

Cas forces a smile. "Nice to meet you."

She doesn't even acknowledge him. Instead, she puts a hand on Dean's thigh and says, "Well, you better eat. The burger's only getting colder."

With that, she grins and leaves.

When she disappears into the back, Dean fake-gags.

"Ugh, tell me I'm not imagining that," Dean pleas.

Cas chuckles. "She basically had heart-eyes for you!"

"Please don't remind me."

Castiel is somewhat glad. He won't admit it, but he felt a twinge of jealousy when Jo was around.

"How old is she?" Cas asks.

Dean has to think for a moment. "Fifteen."

Nodding, Cas looks down. In front of him, there's a giant bacon cheeseburger with a heaping pile of fries and a strawberry milk shake. "Jesus!"

Dean is already halfway through his burger. "Try it, it's good."

Cautiously, Cas picks it up and takes a bite. He smiles as he chews. This is actually good. He quickly takes another bite. "These make me very happy," he says with his mouth half-full.

He looks up and sees Dean staring at him with his grass-green eyes. They make awkward eye-contact and blush.

"So, uh," Cas stutters, trying to break the tension. "How did you find this place? You've been here only a few days."

Dean swallows. "I've lived here before, with my… uncle, Bobby."

"Really? How long ago?"

"About a year and a half. Used to come here every day after school. I still came after I moved, usually once a week. Took the two hour drive for the burger and pie." He glances at his plate. "Totally worth it."

Cas nods. "What's up with Jo?"

Dean tilts his head back and barks a laugh. "She's had a crush on me since I first moved here. She was only eleven at the time."

"Was the feeling mutual?" Cas huffs.

Dean snaps his head up, looking straight into Cas's eyes. "Are you- are you _jealous_?"

"What, no!" Cas stutters.

"I swear I could almost taste the jealous vibes in the air."

"Shut up."

"C'mon, it's cute!"

It's Cas's turn to snap his head up in surprise. Dean blushes furiously and rubs at the back of his neck.

"Everything tastin' fine, boys?" Ellen gushes, snapping them out of their awkwardness.

"Yea, everything's great," Dean assures. "Could we get two pieces of pie?"

"Absolutely. Let me guess, apple?"

Dean grins. "You know me, Ellen."

"Alright, commin' right up."

The two go back to their awkward state. They sit there for about a minute or two, until Castiel decides to voice the worries that are swirling around in his head.

"Dean, is this all a joke?" he blurts out.

"Is what a joke?"

Cas gives an exasperated sigh. "This. Going out with me, being my friend."

Dean looks astonished. "No!" he snaps. "No," he says again, calmer. "Why do you think this is a joke?"

Shaking his head, he replies, "It's just- I don't have many friends; none, actually. I'm not used to people being nice to me. Well, unless they want something in return," he looks skeptically at Dean. "Which leads me to my next question-"

"Cas, stop it." Dean sighs and runs a hand down his face. "I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to laugh or get all awkward on me, okay?"

Cas hesitates before he says, "Okay."

Sighing again, Dean prepares himself to reveal… something. "On the first day, I wanted to talk to you because you were cute and I just mustered up the courage to go say 'hi'. Well, my natural-born dickiness kicked in and… yea. Then, you snapped at me a few times and I thought, 'Hey! We could get along.'

"Later that day, I saw you getting bullied and I thought, 'Woah, nobody deserves to be treated like that. I need to look out for this kid'. At the gas station, I just wanted a drink. Then, this major douchebag came and put a gun to your head. I was like, 'Oh hell no. Nobody touches my little buddy'. So, I put a knife to his throat.

"The next day, after school, I thought I'd give you a ride. It would be a chance to get to know you, right? Well, I also screwed that up. I thought I chased you away. I thought, 'Oh man, so much for my little buddy'. But then, you wore the trench coat. However, I didn't have time to celebrate my victory because some dicks were jeering at you.

"And after school yesterday, I just, you know, asked you out. And here we are," he gestures around him. "That's my story."

To say Castiel was dumbfounded would be an understatement. He swallows and blinks. "I-I… Um, uh…"

He couldn't even string together words to make a coherent sentence!

Finally, he takes a deep breath and blurts out, "ThankyouIdon'tknowwhattosaybutIreallyappreciatethatthisisn'tajokeandthatyouwereactuallybeingnicetome!"

Dean giggles, well, not like little girl giggles, but more of 'Wow I got something off my chest and now this cute guy is flustered' giggle. "Sorry, could you say that a little slower?"

"Thank you, I don't know what to say but I really appreciate that this isn't a joke and that you were actually being nice to me."

"Oh," Dean blinks. "No problem."

A plate is slid into the middle of the table, startling both of them. "Here you go, boys." Ellen leans on the chair next to Cas. "Are you done with those burgers?"

Cas nods and hands her the plate. He only managed to eat half. Dean ate the whole thing plus a majority of his fries. Ellen smiles and goes to the back.

"Jeez, what are you? An endless pit?" Cas jokes.

Dean runs his tongue over his lip. "Something like that."

On the plate, there are two pieces of pie. The crust is golden and the filling is oozing. Dean looks expectedly at Cas.

"Well, aren't you gonna try a bite?" he asks.

"Oh, uh, yea." Cas grabs his fork and snags a goo-covered apple slice. He also scoops up some crust. Looking at it skeptically, he raises it to eye-level.

"Just eat it!"

Cas looks at Dean and smiles, bringing the pie to his lips. While keeping eye-contact, he closes his mouth around the fork.

Flavor explodes in his mouth. His eyes go wide and he smiles as he chews. Dean chuckles and takes a bite of his own.

"Pie," Cas says, taking another bite.

"Pie," Dean agrees, his mouth full.

The two speak through moans and gestures until the slices of pie are gone. The two then talk easily about pie, sipping their milkshakes.

Suddenly, Heat of the Moment starts playing. Dean starts and reaches into his pocket, extracting his phone. "Hello?" he answers.

Pause. "Mmhmm." Pause. "Are you alright? Things go okay with Jess?" Pause. "Oh. Okay, we're leaving now. Be there in a few."

Dean hangs up and explains, "That was my little brother Sammy. We need to pick him up when we get into town. You're ready to go, aren't you?"

Nodding, Cas stands. Dean leaves a twenty on the table. The two leave, Dean yelling a goodbye to Ellen.

In the Impala, they buckle up and start driving back to town. "Thank you, Dean. That was enjoyable."

"No problem, Cas."

They ride in comfortable silence, well except for some rock song playing on the radio.

In town, Dean pulls up to a small convenient store. A little kid, probably thirteen years old, hurries to the Impala. He looks into the passenger window, sees Cas, and frowns. A few seconds later, the back door opens and he climbs inside.

"Heya, Sammy," Dean greets. "This is Castiel."

Cas turns around in his seat and smiles at Sam. Sam mutters a 'hi' and looks down at his feet.

"He's a little shy," Dean whispers, loud enough for Sam to hear.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

The two continue this until Dean shuts up and asks, "So how'd it go with Jess?"

"Jess?" Cas asks, curious.

"Sammy's little girlfriend."

Sam gasps. "She is not my girlfriend! And it's _Sam_, not 'Sammy'."

Dean laughs and starts the car. "You didn't answer my question."

"It went fine."

Dean sighs. "Then why did I need to pick you up early?"

Sam grumbles, "Her dad doesn't like me."

Looking in the rearview mirror, Dean sees that Sam has a black eye. "Sammy, where'd you get the shiner?" When Sam doesn't answer Dean continues, "If it was that old man then I'll-"

"It wasn't Jess's dad," Sam blurts out. "It was this kid, Dirk."

"Dirk?" Dean chuckles. "I'm gonna rip his lungs out!"

Cas is taken aback by the explosion. He looks at Dean, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Cas."

Sam continues, "He pushed my friend, Barry, down. I helped him up and Dirk started fighting me."

"I hope you beat his ugly ass."

"I didn't fight," Sam admits.

"What?" Dean exclaims. "You just let him beat you up?"

Sam shakes his head. "A teacher broke up the fight after he got one punch in."

Dean shakes his head sadly. "Next time you have a problem with him, tell me, okay?"

Sam nods.

They pull up to a small apartment building. "I gotta go drop Cas off, Sam. Just don't let anybody in, alright?"

In reply, Sam gets out of the car and slams the door.

The car continues driving down the road. "So you have to go the opposite direction to get back to your place after dropping me off?" Cas asks.

"Yea."

"Dean! I don't want you to waste gas. I'll just walk home from now on after school, don't worry."

Dean shushes him. "No it's alright. I want to drive you."

"But Dean-"

"No more discussion. I usually drive around for a while after school anyway," he assures. "This just gives me purpose."

Cas puts his head in his hands. "You are so stubborn." His voice comes out muffled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Dean smirk. "But you love me anyways."

"That's the problem."

Dean nearly swerves off the road.

Laughing, Cas exclaims, "I made Dean Winchester nervous!" Dean scoffs. "He's even blushing!" Cas adds.

"Shut up," he mumbles.

Cas throws a smile Dean's direction. "Was that the first time getting that reply?"

Dean shrugs. "Usually I just get a chuckle, not confirmation."

With that, they pull up at Cas's house. Dean turns off the car.

"Well," Cas sighs. "That was fun."

"Yea," Dean agrees. He has conflicting emotions on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Dean smiles fleetingly. "I don't know. Usually, this is where I kiss the girl I just took out on a date." He pauses. "But, you aren't just some girl."

They sit in silence. "Well, I should go," Cas starts.

Dean sighs, grabs Castiel's tie, and pulls. Their lips touch softly. Cas's eyes flutter closed.

He can feel a hand on his cheek. He moves one of his hands onto Dean's chest and feels the soft leather.

Their lips are moving together softly, finding a rhythm. When they find it, it's as if they were made for each other.

Dean lets out a soft moan as they pull apart. They are both smiling like idiots, Cas licking his lips.

"Now you can go," Dean whispers.

Cas leans in and kisses Dean softly on the cheek before opening the car door. He stands at his porch and waves as the car pulls out of the driveway.

Putting a finger on his lip, Cas thinks, _I just kissed Dean Winchester._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Jeez, I hope that was okay. I'm not good at writing kiss scenes, since I haven't been kissed. *sigh***

**Well, anyways, today is the last day of break so I won't be able to post as frequently as I would like.**

**Farewell for now, henchmen!**

**Please review, it'll motivate me.**

**+Gellie**


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